


Revenge's Consequence

by giftheck



Series: Reconciliation [2]
Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Gen, Reconciliation rewrite
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-14
Updated: 2020-11-15
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:41:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23146366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/giftheck/pseuds/giftheck
Summary: Doug Ramses and Dawn Bellwether escape from Mountainside. Nick and Judy are put on the case to uncover the origins of a mysterious new drug called ‘Waking Death’ while working on mending their relationship. Meanwhile, a new adversary plots to bring down Zootopia. Set one year after the events of Grief's Reunion and 19 years after the film. Part 2 of the "Reconciliation" series. Rewrite of "Waking Death".
Relationships: Judy Hopps/Nick Wilde
Series: Reconciliation [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1614550
Comments: 86
Kudos: 32





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to Revenge’s Consequence – the retelling of Waking Death.
> 
> Disclaimer: Zootopia belongs to Disney.

**REVENGE’S CONSEQUENCE**

****

**PROLOGUE**

_ Nineteen years ago _

_It had been two months since Judy Hopps had stood up and announced to all of Zootopia that it was possible a biological component within predators was making them go savage._

_It had made predators’ lives in Zootopia a living nightmare. Anybody who sided with them, be it other predators, or prey, were caught in the crossfire._

_Sandra Clawford and Nathan Longear had it worse – they were an interspecies couple who were married in all but legality for some time before the crisis struck. They were also one of the ‘unusuals’ – an interspecies couple that had successfully produced offspring naturally. Their eleven-year-old son was named Michael, and he almost looked like a wolf – if not for the ears. He was also shorter than a wolf cub would have been at the same age, but that wasn’t to be helped – he was, after all, a ‘Cross’._

_Sooner or later, they were going to draw the ire of a deranged ‘purist’ – and the consequences were tragic. An old goat had broken in to the house and shot both Sandra and Nathan dead. As the killer prowled the house looking for their child, Officer Humphrey Higgins arrived to arrest him for murder._

_“They were a pair of disgusting freaks!” the old goat shouted as he was being hauled out of the Longear-Clawford house in hoof-cuffs by Officer Higgins. Outside, by the police cruiser, were two sheep officers._

_“We’ll take the suspect back to HQ,” Officer Rammington remarked. He pushed the deranged ram into the cruiser as Higgins re-entered the house to search._

_Unknown to Higgins, the two sheep officers were involved in a conspiracy. Five blocks down, they let the goat out of the car and returned to the Precinct. Higgins had the job of securing the scene, and as he did so, he discovered the traumatised Cross child._

_A child who would grow up to become embittered by what had happened, seeking revenge for what had happened to him. A child who came to believe that the city of Zootopia was a lie._

_A child… who would do everything in his power to tear the whole thing down._

******

_ Present Day _

Sat two miles north of Zootopia, nestled firmly into the side of Mount Arctos, the infamous Mountainside Correctional Facility was where the worst kind of criminals ended up. Murderers and mob bosses were among what the guards referred to as the prison’s ‘long-term guests.’ Prisoners were not separated by species, or even class. To those on the outside, that might have seemed barbaric. Weaker prey might have been put in danger. But to the mammals running the prison, if they got a place there, they were considered big enough to take the risk of other prisoners ‘relieving’ them of their sentence.

But there was another reason the prison had a name for itself. Among those unlucky enough to be given the label of ‘long-term guest’ were the conspirators of the Night Howler Crisis nineteen years earlier.

Their leader, Dawn Bellwether, was the ‘special case’ – she had been in isolation for some time. Numerous attempts had been made on her life during her stay, and many of them had been by predators. It hadn’t shocked Dawn. She had come to expect it.

She hadn’t come to expect it off the prey inmates, though, and in a way, that was worse for her. An ibex had tried to stab her with part of a horn she had broken off from another inmate. The ibex had told her that her plot had made it much harder for the Caprinae class of mammals. A cape buffalo had threatened to break her neck. An antelope tried to ram her with her horns.

The days inside had blurred for Dawn. The constant attacks, the mistreatment of the guards, and then her isolation, had all eroded away at her will. She had contemplated suicide, because the life she was living was no life at all. Forever punished for her hubris in her younger years. She had even started to regret her actions in recent years, and her eagerness to get revenge on Lionheart.

She had not been in contact with her conspirators since she arrived at the prison, so she had no idea what they had been thinking. Doug Ramses felt no remorse for his actions. He regretted being caught, and considered himself lucky to have not gotten the death penalty. What made him angry was that his work had been seized by scientists who had, in his view, perverted his intentions. Doug did not care about helping mammals. He didn’t care whether the world was made better or worse by what he did. All he cared about at the end of it was that he got paid for his work.

It wasn’t _his_ fault the companies he had worked for didn’t see the uses of _Midnicampum Holicithias_.

When Dawn Bellwether approached him, she offered to pay him if he helped her in a plot to make Leodore Lionheart look bad in the eyes of the public so she could take over as Mayor. After all, he had humiliated her and brushed her aside again and again., and she wanted payback. A ‘missing mammals’ crisis was what she called for, and if a few predators got caught in the way… well, Doug didn’t care. He got to work, and he got paid.

Then Dawn’s motivations started to change. Doug knew why: she was the runt of the herd, and predators were never going to take her seriously. So, she decided to weaponize the crisis. Drunk with the power of office, she decided that predators were a threat to that and she accelerated the plan.

And look where that had gotten him: a nice, comfy, bare prison cell in a wing of the prison designed specifically to separate the Night Howler Conspiracists from the rest of the prison population.

Doug was going to die in there. That, he knew. As far as he was concerned, any efforts to communicate with his fellow conspirators were wasted. They had outlived their usefulness to him.

******

The prison watchtower was situated towards the west entrance of the prison.

Craig Howlinson was the one in charge of the watchtower, and at the moment the highest authority in the prison. The sun had already set and Howlinson was ready to hand over to the next shift so he could go home to his wife and daughter and get some sleep, though he would be waiting for another hour before the shift swap.

Howlinson reclined in his chair, comfortable in the knowledge this would be a night like any other.

Bleeping from one of the monitors disturbed his peace. It was the motion sensor camera emplacement on the west entrance to the prison. There was an unmarked van pulled up outside it.

Leaning forward, Craig noticed that there was a mammal pointing a weapon at the camera.

“Shoot!” Craig pushed back and reached for the alarm button. His paw struck it and the alarm started blaring. He scooted over to the intercom as the gate camera went down.

“This is not a drill! West gate, code red!” Craig shouted into the intercom. “We have hostiles at the West gate! Repeat, hostiles at the west gate!”

A moment later, a rocket shot into the tower and detonated.

******

Dawn sat up in her cell as alarms blared around the prison. She supposed that it was somebody trying to break out, though they would soon find that they would not get very far: the guards had itchy trigger fingers whenever they were given guns, and a fleeing convict made for excellent target practice.

Dawn was shocked to hear explosions. That was _not_ normal. An inmate would be lucky to get out of the prison, but explosives? The guards were not carrying those in their armoury, Dawn was sure.

Another explosion rocked the isolation wing and the lights went out for a moment. The emergency generators kicked in, and minimal lighting came on. She could hear a click: the magnetic lock on her door had disengaged. The door swung ajar invitingly.

For one moment, Dawn considered whether she wanted to escape, or whether she deserved punishment.

The door swung open and a ram stood there, glaring at her. It was a face she had not seen for a very, very long time.

“D… Doug?” Dawn blinked.

“Stay here, or come with me, I don’t care, but I’m out of here,” Doug remarked.

“Are you insane? The guards will shoot you!” Dawn replied.

“The guards are too busy dealing with whoever is attacking the prison to gun down escapees right now,” Doug’s mouth curled into a none-too-pleasant smile.

******

Doug didn’t know how long he had been running for, nor did he know why exactly he had displayed the meagre amount of pity on Dawn. Dawn was lagging behind, her short legs very much not used to running.

Doug had not stopped to guess at who had attacked the prison, or why, but he planned on taking full advantage of it. Once both he and Dawn were far enough away, he planned on them going their separate ways: Dawn was still of no use to him.

As the pair emerged onto a road in the side of the mountain, Doug saw lights from the corner of his eye. Turning quickly, he hid himself and Dawn in a nearby bush as a van screeched to a halt and several figures emerged. Torches blazed to life.

“Find him,” came a lowly growl. Doug could hear pawsteps, careful and cautious, as the lights started searching for their quarry.

Dawn stiffened beside him, as though she wanted to run away. Doug clutched at her wrist and raised a cloven hoof to his lips to quiet her.

A light shone at the bush they were hidden behind, and Doug could hear a gun cocking.

“Come on out, Ramses,” the owner of the weapon said. Doug stood up and raised his hooves. In the darkness of night, and with a torch light shone in his eyes, he could not even make out what species was pointing the gun at him.

“And the other one,” came another voice. Dawn meekly stepped out from behind the bush as a second figure aimed their weapon at her.

“Take ‘em,” a third voice commanded. Before either Dawn or Doug could protest, guns blared, shooting darts straight into the necks of both sheep.

The three mammals stepped forward. The lights of the van illuminated them, revealing them to be timber wolves.

“Don’t know why we can’t just kill ‘em,” the second timber wolf said as they hauled the pair into the back of their van.

“You heard the boss,” the first timber wolf said. “He wants Ramses alive.”

“What a waste of resources…” the third wolf remarked. “How much did we throw at that prison, just for them to escape?”

“I’m not being paid to question, I’m being paid to _do_ ,” the first wolf growled. “Any other stupid questions?”

“Why are we bringing _her_?” the second timberwolf questioned. “We all _know_ who she is.”

“Let the boss decide what to do with her,” the first wolf shrugged as he clambered into the front of the van. “She won’t be our problem for long.”

The wolf started the van and drove off, leaving only hoofprints and pawprints in the dirt as evidence anyone was there.

******

 _“This is Zootopia News Network. I’m Peter Moosebridge with some breaking news coming just in. Unknown assailants have laid siege to Mountainside Correctional Facility. Explosives were used and many guards were shot dead by the as-yet unknown assailants. ZBI is on scene, but at present, they are not able to confirm whether any inmates have died, been injured or escaped. The Mayor and Chief Fangmeyer of the ZPD will be giving press conferences later. We will have more on this story as it breaks._ ”

Nick Wilde sat at home, watching the evening news with keen interest.

“Why would anybody attack that prison?” Nick wondered. “That’s a sure-fire way to get every member of the alphabet agency soup on your tail. Urgh… the next few days are going to be tough…”

Nick had not long graduated the Zootopia Police Academy course, and he wasn’t particularly thrilled with the thought of getting a lot of work so soon.

“ _This just in. ZBI has confirmed that two inmates are missing and are assumed to be on the run. Dawn Bellwether and Doug Ramses, two of the conspirators jailed indefinitely for their parts in the Savage Mammal incidents nineteen years ago, are currently at large. ZBI has issued a statement urging the mammals of Zootopia to be on the lookout for the fugitives. If you spot Dawn Bellwether or Doug Ramses, please call the ZBI’s number as shown on the screen now. The ZBI would like us to remind you not to approach or attempt to apprehend the escapees._ ”

Nick leaned forward in his seat, a paw on his forehead.

“This just got a lot worse,” Nick said to himself. He picked up his phone and dialled a number he had gotten to know well enough in the past year. It rang.

“ _Nick?_ ” came the voice of Judy from the other end of the line.

“I wasn’t sure you’d answer,” Nick remarked. “Late nights aren’t exactly your thing.”

“ _I had some things to get done before turning in for the night,_ ” Judy replied.

“Have you seen the news?” Nick asked.

“ _Yes,_ ” Judy answered. “ _You ready for a busy day tomorrow?_ ”

“I guess I’ll have to be…” Nick sighed pointedly.

“ _Some things don’t change,_ ” Judy laughed.

“Why change what’s already perfection?” Nick snarked.

“ _Yes, yes…_ ” Judy suppressed another laugh. “ _You should probably get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a busy one._ ”

“Yeah… you too,” Nick replied. He hung up the phone, switched the television off and padded to his son’s room. He peeked inside. Robin was fast asleep. Nick’s brow furrowed slightly – Robin had been… troubling him lately. Growing more distant. Nick had chalked it down to the move, but it was something he knew he would need to discuss with him sooner or later.

Closing the door, Nick walked to his own room and crept into bed.


	2. The Morning After

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, I want to give a big thank-you to all the people who have reviewed both the revised Grief’s Reunion, and the first chapter of this story. Your comments mean a lot.  
> Shoutouts to those who reviewed since the first chapter was posted: BrutusDeagon, GhostWolf88 (AO3 and FFN), aomagrat, OrangeBlossom46, x_uve, Spectra98, TheJokerman

**THE MORNING AFTER**

The Precinct One lobby was busy as Nick arrived the morning after the attack on Mountainside. Press were setting up around a lectern, evidently expecting there to be a press conference with regards to the events of the previous night.

“Morning, Senior!” Clawhauser waved from the front desk.

“You know, I don’t know why you call me that, Spots,” Nick remarked.

“Oh, you don’t get to come back and give everybody nicknames and not have one for yourself,” Clawhauser grinned. “Besides, your son has the same name, so… Senior!”

Nick simply responded with a light groan and a half-hearted wave as he headed for the bullpen.

Nick yawned loudly as he entered. He found his seat, situated towards the rear of the room, and clambered onto it. Sat to the right was Officer Tony Wolfovitz, one of Precinct One’s mainstays.

“Wilde,” Wolfovitz nodded.

“Wolfy,” Nick returned the nod with a smug smile, earning an exasperated sigh from the wolf.

“Nineteen years and _still_ with the nicknames, Red,” Wolfovitz remarked. “Maybe you should spend more time with Hopps, since when you were around her, you eased off from it…”

The comment made Nick’s smug smile drop. Though the newer officers would have been blissfully unaware, long-serving officers like Wolfovitz knew full-well what had happened between Nick and Judy years ago. It sometimes made things a little uncomfortable.

“Oh,” Wolfovitz said, taking notice of Nick’s soured expression. “Sorry.”

“The past is the past, right?” Nick shrugged. “Me and Hopps are moving past it. That’s why it’s called the past.”

Nick fell silent and Wolfovitz thought better than to push further.

The bullpen door swung open again and in came Judy. She seemed irritated as she headed for the front.

“Wow,” Wolfovitz remarked. “Haven’t seen Hopps that irritated for a while.”

“Yeah, well…” Nick replied as he cupped his muzzle in his paw. “You know what’s probably going to be eating at her. It’s kind of got us all on edge.”

“I hear you,” Wolfovitz agreed.

“Ten- _Hut!_ ” Officer Lupus, the wolf that had taken the role that was once taken by Higgins, called. Most of the Officers began chanting as Fangmeyer walked in. Neither Nick nor Judy joined in.

“All right, settle down…” Fangmeyer took to the podium. “We have some items on the docket before I issue assignments. The first, most obvious one is that we have two fugitives from the Mountainside Prison.”

Nick grimaced. His gaze drifted to the back of Judy’s head at the front.

“The ZBI wants us out of their fur while they search for the two fugitives and those responsible for the attack on Mountainside,” Fangmeyer continued. “I have been told by the Mayor that we are moving to a Code Red. Treat _anything_ suspicious as if it were connected until proven otherwise. The Mayor, myself, and the ZBI, will give the press a statement this morning.”

The assembled officers glanced at each other, trying to figure out what was going on.

“Next item: I want Officer Wilde and Lieutenant Hopps in my office after this briefing,” Fangmeyer continued. Nick’s paw slid from his chin as his eyes drifted back to Judy.

“What did you do this time?” Wolfovitz whispered.

“I have no idea,” Nick answered.

“Assignments: Officers Delgato, Wolfovitz, Andersen: you guys get undercover duty in Savanna Central,” Fangmeyer called. “McHorn, Rhinowitz, Higgins: SWAT duty in the Rainforest District. The rest of you have patrols. Dismissed.”

“See ya, Wilde,” Wolfovitz nudged Nick gently as he jumped down from his chair.

Nick grumbled as the other Officers all filed out of the room. Fangmeyer stayed behind to watch them go as they left Nick and Judy behind. Once they were all gone, Nick and Judy filed out of the bullpen and headed for the stairs up to Fangmeyer’s office.

Nick glanced at Judy, noting that she appeared tired. He knew how she felt – the whole situation was draining and Nick hadn’t had much sleep last night himself.

Fangmeyer padded up the stairs after them.

“Inside, please,” Fangmeyer opened the door to her office, ushering the pair inside.

Commissioner Bogo was sat in one of the chairs on the near side of Fangmeyer’s desk, evidently waiting for them.

“So… how are the children?” Fangmeyer asked as she sat down at the desk. Nick and Judy looked at each other, unsure as to what the reason behind Fangmeyer’s question.

“They’re… fine,” Judy replied.

“It’s been a tough few months,” Nick said at the same time. The pair looked at each other again.

“Understandable that things haven’t settled yet, with your move back into the police, Wilde,” Fangmeyer nodded. “Very few mammals leave the police, try to come back a second time and _succeed_. Passing the Academy a second time, and so well, was beyond expectations. It’s too soon to say, but you could ascend the ranks once again and be back where you were before.”

Nick said nothing to the appraisal.

“And Hopps, giving up this chair wasn’t something that could have been easy for you to do,” Fangmeyer turned to Judy.

“It was the right thing to do,” Judy responded.

“Nevertheless, you’ve settled quickly back into your rank, and your work remains as good as it has been,” Fangmeyer remarked. “I’m going to be putting you two together, working on something that has just come in.”

Fangmeyer slid a folder across the desk and Judy picked it up. Nick looked over her shoulder as she opened it.

“‘Waking Death’?” Judy raised an eyebrow.

“A new drug on the streets,” Fangmeyer said. “Brought to our attention after we had some mammals brought in carrying it. Not a particularly… pleasant drug.”

Judy continued reading the file.

“It’s a Night Howler derivative?” Judy queried.

“Yes,” Fangmeyer nodded.

“Excuse me, this is great and all,” Nick interjected, “but wouldn’t it be prudent to tell all the officers to look out for this? Why us? Is this your way of stopping us from investigating the Mountainside breakout?”

Fangmeyer exchanged looks with Bogo.

“That’s right, Wilde,” Bogo said. “Consider this assignment in place of looking into it as an official order to back off.”

Judy opened her mouth.

“Shut it, Hopps,” Bogo interrupted before Judy could say anything. “I know all too well that they tried to kill you. What the ZBI doesn’t need right now is _personal involvement_.”

“If you interfere with their investigation, I’ll have to suspend you,” Fangmeyer agreed. “I really don’t want to do that. And that goes for off-the-clock too. We have the Waking Death to investigate, so I would suggest focusing on that.”

Nick and Judy glanced at each other.

“We’ll get on with it,” Judy said finally.

“It’ll be just like old times,” Nick added, earning a look of slight reproach from Judy.

“I’ll take that to mean that there will be no arguments,” Fangmeyer said.

“No, Ma’am,” Nick and Judy chimed together.

“Good,” Bogo nodded, getting up from his chair finally. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to report to the Mayor.”

With that, Bogo left the room.

“Dismissed,” Fangmeyer said to Nick and Judy. They got up out of their chairs and left the room with the folder Fangmeyer had given them.

******

“So, this thing’s a bit nasty, isn’t it?” Nick remarked, leaning back on his chair. The pair had returned to their cubicles to start looking into the contents of the folder.

“Night Howler mixed in with some sort of sedative,” Judy read from the folder. “Even a very small amount of Night Howler is enough to make you go savage, but… somehow, this new drug stops you from going savage. You just feel the rush of adrenaline, and the sedative stops you from moving.”

“… why would you want to be immobilized?” Nick raised a curious eyebrow.

“Guess it makes the rush of adrenaline more powerful if you can’t act on it?” Judy shrugged.

“I restate my question,” Nick shook his head. “Sounds like a terrible idea.”

“Must be some mammals who want it,” Judy replied.

“Well, here’s hoping we get to the source of it before it gets out of control,” Nick said. He leaned over Judy’s shoulder to read the document Judy was glancing over.

“Hey, look who’s on the list of mammals of interest,” Nick said, smirking as he peered over Judy’s shoulder.

“Do you mind?” Judy huffed.

“Not at all, Fluff,” Nick replied, his claw reaching for the document. He traced the name he had spotted: Marmaduke ‘Duke’ Weaselton.

“Who knew Duke was connected to all of this?” Nick said aloud.

“Hope your running skills are up to snuff,” Judy smirked.

“Carrots, if he runs, I’ll chase him down like a dog,” Nick grinned.

******

Nick and Judy had left Precinct One to pursue the lead. Judy drove the cruiser through Savanna Central on the way to one of Duke Weaselton’s old haunts.

“You know…” Nick smirked, “you haven’t really gotten better at driving.”

Judy playfully slammed the brakes on, but Nick was prepared for it, clutching the dashboard.

“Heh,” Nick said. “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me, Carrots.”

Smiling smugly to herself, Judy pushed the cruiser forward again.

“So, uh…” Nick ventured, “how are you doing?”

Judy’s smile lowered a little. Her ears drooped.

“I’m fine,” Judy replied.

“You’re a terrible liar,” Nick replied. “I see your ears drooping there.”

“It’s just…” Judy began. “I’m angry. And I’m scared. I’m angry that _she_ escaped. And I’m scared that she will come after me, after Nicky… after you… actually, I’m _terrified_ of it.”

“Well, I’d be lying if I said the whole situation didn’t scare me,” Nick replied. “Things being as they are…”

“Robin still acting up?” Judy asked.

Robin had been starting to misbehave in the past couple of months, coinciding with the last leg of Nick’s attendance of the Police Academy. Nick had ruled out Robin making unsavoury friends, and up to that point, he had not committed any criminal acts.

“Uh-huh,” Nick nodded. “I’d be prepared to blame it on some rebellious stage, but I think it’s more to do with the whole change.”

“I’m sure he’ll come around,” Judy said. “Nicky was a bit like that too.”

“Nicholas had it harder,” Nick murmured. “But you’re right: I’m sure he’ll come round.”

For a moment, there was silence in the cruiser, Judy’s paws gripping the steering wheel a little tighter than normal.

“Do you think it’s right that they tell us to back off?” Judy asked.

“Do I want to see Bellwether and Ramses caught? Yes, yes I do,” Nick replied. “Am I going to annoy our superiors by disobeying a direct order? No, I am not.”

Nick’s attention was diverted to a figure coming out from an alley. Their weasel lead had emerged and was beginning to set up a stand on the corner of the street ahead, no doubt attempting to hawk bootleg movies as he always had.

“There he is,” Nick said. “Boy, looks like prison hasn’t been agreeing with him.”

Duke looked worse for wear. His fur was unkempt, and he looked older than he was.

“Close in,” Nick said to Judy. Judy started the engine and crawled the cruiser along the road. Nick wound down the window.

“If it isn’t the Duke of Bootleg!” Nick shouted. The weasel froze in place, his shock evident as he stared at Nick.

“Aw, crud, not you guys!” Duke groaned, before turning tail and running.

“Of course he ran,” Nick scoffed. “How we doing this? On foot? Or with the cruiser?”

“Think your grandpa legs could keep up?” Judy raised an eyebrow.

“I’ll thank you to never say that again,” Nick said as he opened the cruiser door and jumped out and started running after Duke.

“Hey, Duke! Where are you going?” Nick called as he ran after the fleeing weasel. He could hear tyres screeching and saw Judy shoot past in the cruiser. Judy skidded the cruiser into the sidewalk, right into Duke’s path. Unfortunately for Duke, he had been glancing behind and his attention did not return to his front in time to stop him slamming into the cruiser. Nick slowed to a standstill before picking Duke up none-too-gently. Judy stepped out from the cruiser and to Nick’s side.

“Is that any way to treat an old friend when all he did was say ‘hi’?” Nick asked.

“We both know you ain’t here to say hi, Wilde!” Duke said as Nick let him go. “You was a thorn in my side ever since the Night Howler thing, and now you gotta bust my chops again? All I’m tryin’a do is make an honest livin’.”

“Running doesn’t make you seem innocent _or_ honest, Duke,” Nick replied.

“I ain’t givin’ ya nothin’, Wilde!” Duke said defiantly. “We both know ya here for info on somethin’.”

“Oh, yeah?” Nick raised an eyebrow. “A little birdie tells me you were in prison not too long ago. Be a shame to get sent back so soon for something so trivial as bootlegging Floatzen 5.”

“… whaddaya want, Wilde?” Duke glowered at Nick.

“Ever hear of something called ‘Waking Death’?” Judy stepped towards Duke.

“Uh, uh!” Duke replied, “I ain’t steppin’ in on _that_! I got the daylights kicked outta me the _last_ time I pointed you to a drug lab!”

“So, you _do_ know something,” Nick smiled. Duke blanched.

“I ain’t talkin’!” Duke insisted. “And with your pal Big gone, there ain’t nothin’ ya can do ta make me!”

“He’s got us there, Carrots,” Nick said. “I mean, it was unfortunate that Mr. Big died recently, but on the other paw… I’m pretty sure that mammals know a snitch when they see ‘em, right?”

“Yup,” Judy grinned, cottoning on to what Nick was plotting. “In fact, even if Duke doesn’t tell us, I’m sure word’ll get around that he even _talked_ to us in relation to it.”

“And since he’s going to be back in jail for illegal counterfeiting,” Nick continued, “there’s no chance he can just hide out until it all blows over. Ah, such a shame… You want the privilege, Carrots?”

“You can have this one, Slick,” Judy replied.

Nick reached for the pawcuffs at his belt.

“Shame, really… you’ve not been out that long,” Nick said. “Ah, well… Marmaduke Weaselton, you’re under arrest for illegal counterfeiting.”

“Not the first name, Wilde, you know I hate it!” Duke groaned.

“You have the right to remain silent,” Nick cuffed Weaselton. “You have the right to an attorney. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. I take it by now you understand your rights, so…”

Duke said nothing. Judy opened the rear cruiser door and Nick made to throw Duke in roughly.

“Alright, alright! I’ll talk!” Duke said finally, just as Nick swung him backwards to throw him in. Nick dropped Duke to the ground and crossed his arms.

“Waking Death,” Judy repeated. “Tell us what you know.”

“Look, I ain’t touched that stuff!” Duke replied. “But I heard that there’s a lab for it in Savanna Central, under Banyan Street. That’s all I know!”

Nick and Judy glanced at each other. They knew that address. Though the subway station that had been there had long since closed, it was the point the pair of them had entered in order to find the Night Howler lab many years previously.

“Surely they wouldn’t be _that_ stupid…” Judy muttered.

“Best place to hide is where somebody’s already checked,” Nick shrugged.

“You gonna let me go or not?” Duke interrupted. Nick fished the key from his belt and undid Duke’s pawcuffs.

“Don’t let us catch you again,” Nick remarked. “Now, get out of here.”

“With pleasure,” Duke replied, scurrying off down a nearby alley. Judy got into the cruiser and Nick followed.

“Now, Banyan Street Subway Station is long gone…” Judy said, opening a map on her iCarrot phone. “Where can we get in?”

“Next available stop would be Berry Lane Station,” Nick pointed to a location on the map. “We can ask the Transport Police to help us get there using the service tunnels.”

“Well, let’s get going,” Judy started the cruiser and pulled it out from the sidewalk and back onto the road.

******

In a mansion in Tundratown, Michael Clawford waited patiently.

He was the boss of a Tundratown criminal gang that had gained a lot of power in the wake of the disbanding of the Big Family Gang. His criminal gang had flown relatively under the radar. Michael liked that: he had been flying under the radar before ever thinking of establishing the gang he had created.

Now he had a bigger purpose.

Over the past nineteen years, Michael had seen a lot happen. So-called _harmony_ in Zootopia, the public acceptance of predator and prey friendships and eventually romances…

Appearances could be deceiving, and Michael knew it was all a lie.

He had been waiting patiently since the previous night’s raid on Mountainside – a raid he had organized. He had tasked his team with the extraction of what he had called a ‘key asset’. Months of planning, training and building resources had lead to that moment, and it was all to progress the plan Michael had.

Doug Ramses was a key ingredient of the plan. There were plenty of scientists who had experience with Night Howler, but they were all busy working for the so-called ‘common good’ of Zootopia. It might take a small amount of time, but Michael was confident that he could coax Doug’s knowledge of the Night Howler chemistry back to the front of his mind.

Michael’s team had picked up an extra: Dawn Bellwether. Michael wasn’t enthused, but accepted the reasoning they couldn’t have just left her there. That team had been carrying non-lethal weaponry, and there was every chance that, if Dawn were discovered, she might give the authorities enough of a lead that would cause the eventual unravelling of Michael’s plan.

Besides, it wasn’t as if Dawn was _completely_ useless.

“Boss, they’re here,” a polar bear stepped into the office. Michael examined him briefly – he was one of Big’s former enforcers who had been looking for new employment after the collapse of the Big Crime Family, and Michael was happy to oblige.

“Bring them in, Raymond,” Michael said finally to the polar bear. Raymond grunted, leaving the room for a moment before coming back in, dragging two sheep inside. Raymond dropped the two sheep in front of Michael, and he examined them both briefly.

“Who are you?” Bellwether asked. “What do you want with us?”

“‘Us’?” Michael raised an eyebrow. “Whatever made you think I wanted you, Dawn Bellwether?”

Bellwether stiffened as Michael passed by her and stopped in front of Doug.

“ _You_ , on the other hand, will prove most valuable,” Michael said.

“Not interested,” Doug replied. “Especially not interested in helping a chomper.”

“I see nineteen years in Mountainside hasn’t changed your charming attitude towards speciesm,” Michael let a small smile creep onto his muzzle. “No matter. See, I have a proposition for you.”

“Still not interested,” Doug sneered.

“Oh, I think you’ll be _very_ interested,” Michael allowed his smile to grow wider, showing his teeth. “After all, I think you owe me for your rescue… and for not executing you outright. Just be thankful that I need you.”

“What the…? What are you?” Bellwether stared at Michael, noticing his buck teeth, before her eyes rested on his abnormally-long ears for a canine.

“You know, I don’t think there _is_ a term specifically suited to me,” Michael pondered. “See, there aren’t many of us in the world, or at least, not many of us who are _obvious_. But I’m the result of something you strived to destroy: predator-prey harmony.”

“Disgusting,” Doug spat.

“I’m a poster-child of something that is just so… untrue,” Michael continued. “It’s laughable. There is no harmony. Zootopia’s mantra? A big lie. See, harmony isn’t the natural state. Chaos is. No matter what those who wield their power over us might think… there is no co-existence. No symbiosis. I intend on showing Zootopia that.”

Michael cracked a smirk.

“Besides, I’d say you _owe_ me, since I’m responsible for your freedom,” Michael pointed out. “It was I who organised the attack on the prison. I who enabled your escape, though I will say, you jumped the gun a bit. My mammals were meant to ‘rescue’ you – and _only_ you,” Michael’s eyes flitted to Bellwether briefly, “and bring you here. Beyond that…”

Michael paced around to his desk and picked up a wine glass, studying it briefly.

“I can make it worth your while,” Michael said, drinking from the glass. “You do as I say, and I’ll let you go free, with all the money you would need to disappear and start a comfortable new life outside the Zootopian eye. Even better, I’ll let you get _revenge_.”

Doug glared at Michael.

“… what do you want?” Doug asked.

“I need what you did best,” Michael answered. “I need a drug weaponized.”

Michael opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out a syringe filled with a dark liquid. He flicked the syringe.

“I don’t know if you’ve heard of this, but this is a wonderful drug called _Latericius Valete Mortem_ ,” Michael explained. “On the streets, they call it the ‘Waking Death’, because of the paralysis it causes. Total shutdown of all voluntary nervous functions. I’ve never been tempted to try it myself, but as I understand it, it also contains a little something you _are_ familiar with. That’s its magic, and that’s how it gets you hooked: the Night Howler contained within it is potent enough to cause an adrenal rush, but the paralysing agent stops you from acting on the impulses the Night Howler gives. The so-called ‘ultimate rush’ drug. And I want you to weaponize it.”

“Prove it,” Doug said. “Prove this drug does what you say it does.”

Michael sneered, revealing his teeth again.

“Perhaps it is fortunate that Bellwether was along for the ride after all,” Michael said, snapping his fingers. Raymond stepped forward and seized Bellwether.

“Let me go!” Bellwether protested, trying to shake herself free. Michael took the cap off the syringe and plunged the needle straight into Bellwether’s arm. For a moment, Bellwether struggled, but her struggles soon stopped and she went completely limp, the only thing moving was the rising and falling of her chest. Raymond let Bellwether go and she dropped to the floor. Michael stood over Bellwether and clicked his fingers right by Bellwether’s left ear, then her right. He waved his paw in front of her eyes and got absolutely no response.

“Interesting…” Doug said, looking down at Bellwether.

“I’m told the drug still lets you see and hear, and you can still smell as well,” Michael said. “But that’s it. It’ll take about an hour for this dose to wear off. In the mean-time, her mind will be flooded by the adrenal rush. As I understand it, it’s what they refer to as a ‘trapped-in’ experience.”

“… what is it you want?” Doug turned to Michael.

“I want Waking Death weaponized,” Michael replied, “You have experience here: you turned Night Howler, a plant with effects that lasted only minutes, into a potent weapon that affected its victims for months at a time. At first you had the pellet versions, which you used to target specific animals, but if I remember the details of the trial, you were planning on creating Night Howler bombs that would be placed in the vent systems of your targets. I’m after that exactly: Waking Death pellets and Waking Death bombs that affect my targets in the long term. Though I have no use for the Waking Death pellets outside of making sure that I get what I want, the bombs are particularly interesting to me.”

“To what end?” Doug asked.

“Can you imagine a more painful way to die?” Michael smiled grimly. “Unable to move. Which do you think gives out first? Your heart from the constant adrenal rush? Maybe your brain? Does the hunger consume you before then? If we are all _truly_ equal in one thing, it’s that we all die the same way.”

Michael returned his attention to Doug.

“Do this, and I’ll make sure you go free,” Michael vowed. “You may even be able to perform your tests on choice targets…”

Michael retrieved two photos from his desk and placed them down. They were of Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde. Doug gritted his teeth as he glared at the photos.

“You’re not disagreeing, so I’ll take that as us having a deal,” Michael grinned darkly. “Good. Raymond, take Mr. Ramses here, get him out of those prison clothes and show him to the lab. Oh, and take _that_ ,” Michael pointed to the collapsed Bellwether, “and dispose of her. Don’t bother with wasting a bullet, just dump her in the Tundra or Sahara.”

Raymond moved forward, grabbed Bellwether and carried her out of the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that’s the next chapter done! A combination of two chapters here.


	3. Investigation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to the people who reviewed the previous chapter: GhostWolf88, x_uve, aomagrat, Spectra98, TheJokerman

**INVESTIGATION**

Deep in the subterranean levels of Zootopia, Nick and Judy were moving towards their destination. They were accompanied by a badger Transport Police Officer, who had opened up the service tunnels for them. He was carrying a map that would guide them to what used to be Banyan Street Station.

“Gotta say, we don’t get many topsiders coming down here,” the badger remarked.

“We don’t get many drug labs hiding in the subways, Officer Dennington,” Judy countered.

“Point taken,” Dennington replied. He looked down at the map. “Yup, just gotta take the next left and then you’ll come right out on the old Banyan Street Station platform.”

“Thank you,” Judy nodded.

The three officers rounded the corner and opened the door, which brought them out onto a platform. Banyan Street Station had been in a state of disrepair the last time Judy and Nick had been here during the Night Howler Case, and that was nineteen years ago. Now, the wall tiling was falling apart, the floors were dirty and littered with trash, there were no working lights (which meant Judy and Nick had to use their torches), and the exit that would have led them back up to Banyan Street was boarded up.

Nick’s eyes scanned the area. He spotted something on the far side of the station: a large vehicle had been parked against a wall.

“How did that get in here?” Nick asked.

“What?” Judy replied. “You know I can’t see that well in the dark.”

“There’s a big camper-van parked on the far side,” Nick pointed out. “Probably what we’re looking for.”

Judy picked the torch from her belt and flicked the switch. She pointed it in front of her, and the light illuminated the camper-van.

“How’d they even get that in here?” Judy wondered.

“That’s what I just asked,” Nick snarked.

“I’ll call it in,” Dennington said. He reached for his radio and pressed the call button. “Central, this is Officer Dennington, we have located a camper van in the disused Banyan Street Station.”

There was no reply.

“Central, do you copy?” Dennington repeated.

“I’ll try,” Judy replied. She picked the radio off her belt and activated the call switch.

“Officer Hopps to Dispatch, do you copy?” Judy spoke.

No response.

“Dispatch, do you copy?” Judy tried again, and again there was no response.

“Well, that can’t be good,” Nick sighed.

“Officer Dennington, are you armed?” Judy asked.

“No, why?” Dennington replied.

“Get back to Control, tell them that there’s a drug lab in Banyan Street Station, and that it’s using a signal jammer,” Judy instructed. “Suspects are likely to be armed if they’ve gone to this much trouble.”

“Y… yes, ma’am,” Bennington turned back around and headed back into the service tunnels.

“Bet you enjoyed giving orders again,” Nick snarked.

“Hush, you,” Judy retorted.

Slowly approaching the parked camper van, Nick and Judy raised their tranquiliser guns. Nick signalled that he would take the left side, and Judy nodded in agreement to taking the right side. She creeped around carefully, making sure the area was clear before proceeding to the front. Nick popped around the other side and indicated to himself and then to the door nearest him. Judy nodded as she drew closer to the door nearest her. She caught Nick’s attention again and raised a paw with three fingers. Silently she counted down from three, and once her fist was clenched, she threw the door open.

“ZPD!” Judy shouted. Nick burst in at the other end. There was nobody inside, but the equipment present was enough to confirm that the campervan had been used as a Waking Death factory, though judging by the dust over the equipment, it had been some time since it had seen use. A basin was filled with soil, likely the place that had been for the growing of Night Howlers for use in the drug.

Nick and Judy knew looks could be deceiving, and so they began their search of the campervan. However, it soon became apparent that things _were_ as they seemed, and they finished their investigation quickly.

“Well, this is anti-climactic,” Nick remarked.

“We need to call this in anyway,” Judy said as she found a control box on one of the worktops. The unit was switched on.

“Police scanner,” Nick noted, “Looks like a newer version. And if I’m not wrong… Yep. Has a functioning jammer. You know how to deactivate it?”

“Yep,” Judy replied, reaching behind the police scanner and yanking the cord from it.

“Don’t ever let it be said that you’re not technically-minded, Carrots,” Nick teased. He took the radio from his belt and flicked it on.

“Dispatch, this is Officer Wilde,” Nick spoke into the radio.

“ _This is Dispatch, Senior!_ ” came the chirpy voice of Clawhauser. Nick rolled his eyes.

“We need Officers down at the old Banyan Street station,” Nick requested. “We’ve found an abandoned drug lab. Please advise responding officers they will have to enter through Berry Lane and take the service tunnels to get here. Ask for Zootopia Transport Police Officer Dennington, he can lead officers down here.”

“ _10-4,_ ” Clawhauser replied. Nick looked to Judy.

“Now what?” Nick asked.

“Now we wait,” Judy replied.

Nick leaned against the counter.

“So…” Nick ventured, “Want to talk about what happened?”

“What’s to talk about?” Judy replied.

“Oh, I don’t know,” Nick shrugged. “Just the idea of two speciests on the loose who, the last time they were free, tried to frame predators as savages, one of which tried to use me to kill you. It’s got you worried. It’s got _me_ worried too.”

Judy glared at Nick for a moment, before dropping the glare and stepping a little closer.

“Yes, I’m worried,” Judy admitted. “I still have nightmares about it. I don’t ever want Nicky or Robin to feel that terror. That’s without even thinking about what they might do to get at us. I’m less scared about them trying to kill me than I am them going for Nicky, or Robin.”

“Considerate that you’re thinking of Robin in all of this,” Nick noted.

“Why wouldn’t I?” Judy replied. “He might not be my son, but he still matters.”

“Thank you,” Nick murmured. He looked away from Judy. “You know, the ZBI will probably get their paws on them pretty quick.” It’s going to be okay, Carrots.” Nick placed a paw on Judy’s shoulder.

“Did somebody call for backup?” came a voice from the open door of the campervan. Nick and Judy turned to see no less than six officers outside: Officer Johnson, a lion; his partner Officer Woolton, a ram; Officer Snarlov, a polar bear; his partner Officer Blackpaw, a ferret; Officer Thompson, a tiger; and his partner Officer Swinton, a pig.

“Well, this is a bit overkill,” Nick remarked as he stepped outside the campervan with Judy.

“We got an ‘all responders’ call,” Johnson replied with a shrug.

“Hey, I’m not going to complain,” Nick said. “But I do wonder… who gave you the call?”

“Clawhauser did,” Snarlov replied.

“Oh, good,” Nick sighed.

“Did he tell you that the drug lab was abandoned?” Judy asked, eyebrow raised.

“Umm… no,” Woolton replied.

“Didn’t think so,” the corner of Nick’s mouth twitched. “Maybe Dennington didn’t tell him? What do you think, Carrots?”

Judy thought for a moment.

“We’ll need only two officers,” Judy said finally. “Snarlov and Blackpaw, would you remain behind here? The rest of you can return to your patrols.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Came the reply. Judy shivered: she was still technically their superior, but she wasn’t used to being lower-ranked and still having authority. Johnson, Woolton, Thompson and Swinton all headed back towards the service tunnel that would lead them back to Berry Street, leaving Judy, Nick, Snarlov and Blackpaw behind.

“I’m telling you, you’re enjoying giving orders,” Nick smirked.

“Shut it,” Judy glared at Nick. Snarlov snickered, while Blackpaw looked a bit confused.

“Shutting it…” Nick said, a smirk crawling upon his mouth. “Ma’am.”

Judy elbowed Nick in the side, but it didn’t wipe the smirk from his face.

“Should she be treating a subordinate like that?” Blackpaw whispered to Snarlov.

“You’re new, but Wilde and Hopps have been at this song and dance for years,” Snarlov explained. “Wilde jokes around and teases her, and Hopps scolds him. It’s all done endearingly.”

“Snarlov, did you bring a testing kit?” Judy turned to the polar bear.

“Yes, ma’am,” Snarlov affirmed.

“Can you take a sniff around?” Judy asked. “Your nose is the best one here.”

Snarlov nodded as he entered the makeshift lab.

“You know, I have a nose too,” Nick turned to Judy.

“As tempting as it is to make you crawl around in the dust, Slick, I might need you by my side more.”

There was a beat of silence between them as the words settled upon their comprehension.

“Gee, Carrots, someone might see that as flirting with a subordinate,” Nick teased.

“Oh, gosh, you’re right!” Judy said, her ears getting a bit warm. “I didn’t mean anything by it. Sorry, Nick…”

“You say that word too much, Carrots,” Nick frowned.

Judy’s ears drooped.

“Sorry,” She repeated.

“No, I just said that… never mind,” Nick shook his head. “Besides, I _might_ have just been pulling your ears to begin with.”

Judy’s expression blanked for a moment as she considered Nick.

“Why, you…” Judy punched Nick lightly in the arm.

Snarlov and Blackpaw emerged from the campervan.

“Nothing but faded scents,” Snarlov remarked, “but the tests did pick up trace amounts of Night Howler, among other things.”

“Well, that’s nothing we didn’t already know,” Nick shrugged.

“We had to make sure,” Judy reminded him. “Now… how do we get this out of here?”

“Unless you can find a key in there, you can’t drive it out,” Nick replied.

“Could you hotwire it?” Judy asked.

“What kind of a mammal do you take me for?” Nick raised an eyebrow as he put faux outrage into his voice. “I’ve never hotwired anything before. That sort of thing was Finnick’s game, and that was many years ago anyway.”

“Sheesh, Nick, I didn’t mean _you_ when I said that,” Judy replied.

“Too easy,” Nick grinned. “I’m just pulling your tail, Carrots.”

“You’d better _not_ be,” Judy huffed. Nick laughed.

“So…” Snarlov stepped forward. “How do we get this out of here?”

“Driving it out of the tunnel is out of the question, but…” Judy began.

“A freight train with a flatbed car could be used,” Nick suggested. “We would just have to figure out how we’re going to get the campervan onto the flatbed in the first place, especially since we can’t start the thing.”

“We can call in the ZPD mechanic,” Blackpaw suggested. “They could get it up and running.”

“Do that,” Judy instructed. “Snarlov, can you ask the Transit Authority to send a train with a flatbed car here? They’ll need to shut down the line for a while, but I’m sure they’ll co-operate.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Snarlov replied.

******

It took two hours for the train to arrive with the flatbed car, by which time the ZPD mechanic had arrived, hotwired the campervan, and left. Snarlov drove the campervan onto the flatbed, and the train left the disused station. Nick and Judy left through the service tunnels and re-emerged at the Berry Lane station. They emerged back onto the street.

“Well, would you look at the time,” Nick glanced at an imaginary watch.

“It’s time you got a watch,” Judy chuckled.

“Nice one,” Nick grinned. “Actually, it’s well past lunch time. What say we take a break?”

“There’s a café near here that serves prey and predators,” Judy suggested.

“Sounds good,” Nick nodded as they reached the cruiser parked up on the street.

As Judy opened the door to their cruiser, her phone buzzed. She took it from her belt and answered.

“Lieutenant Hopps,” Judy spoke.

“ _Miss Hopps? This is Principle Skipps,_ ” the male voice on the other end of the line answered. “ _I’m calling to request a meeting with you regarding your son, Nicholas._ ”

“Why? What has he done?” Judy frowned.

“ _He has been involved in a fight with another student,_ ” Skipps replied. “ _I apologise if the timing isn’t appropriate, but we need you to come to the school as soon as possible._ ”

Judy vented a breath through her nose in frustration.

“I’ll be there soon,” Judy said. She hung up.

“Junior?” Nick raised an eyebrow.

“He got himself into a fight,” Judy shook her head.

“There’s two sides to every story, Carrots,” Nick replied as he got into the cruiser.

“I know that, Nick,” Judy said as she shut the door and started the cruiser’s engine. “And I think I might already know what’s caused this. Skipps hasn’t been… _helpful_ after Nicky started getting bullied by a classmate. All because he’s friends with a she-wolf. You might know her. She’s the daughter of Wolfard.”

“Yeah, I remember he had a daughter,” Nick nodded. “Small world, huh.”

“Well, this other boy thinks he’s an Alpha,” Judy explained, “and Nicky’s in the way of the she-wolf he’s after.”

“Guy sounds a bit like a typical jock to me,” Nick replied.

“He’s been keeping his nose clean for this long…” Judy began.

“Carrots, it’s okay,” Nick reassured Judy. “We’ll have this sorted out.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that’s a wrap for this chapter! Sorry for keeping you waiting on it, but I’m back on the metaphorical horse now, and I’m going to carry on over the Summer break (of 5 months).


	4. Principal Matters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to the previous reviewers: GhostWolf88, aomagrat, BrutusDeagon, seakard, Spectra98, x_uve
> 
> Let’s get this show on the road!

**PRINCIPAL MATTERS**

_ One year ago _

_“Do me a favour,” Nicholas requested to Judy._

_Judy had taken him to school, and it was the first time he had gone to school in a long time and not considered walking out when his mother’s back was turned. He wanted to make a go of it._

_“Don’t call me ‘Nicky’ in front of anybody,” Nicholas said, causing Judy to giggle lightly. Nicholas returned a small smile, opened the door and got out. Getting inside the gate, his eyes briefly caught the eyes of a wolf girl with grey fur standing nearby. He quickly averted his eyes and carried on towards the school’s doors._

_He felt a gentle tap on his shoulder. Frowning slightly, he turned around. It was the wolf girl whose eye he had briefly caught._

_“Let’s be friends,” the girl wolf said. Nicholas raised an eyebrow curiously._

_“Are you usually this forward with mammals you don’t even know the name of?” Nicholas asked quizzically, allowing a trace of his amusement into his voice._

_“Blame my Dad, he always said to go for what you want,” the girl wolf replied. Her eyes fell briefly, but then she grinned as she said: “I’m Amy Wolfard.” She offered her paw to Nicholas._

_“Nicholas Hopps,” Nicholas replied, raising his paw and shaking hers._

_“Ah,” Amy cocked her head, “you’re Chief Hopps’ son?”_

_“Well, not Chief Hopps,” Nicholas shrugged._

_“I’ve met your Mom a few times,” Amy said. “My Dad… he used to be a ZPD officer. When I was a cub, she was always welcome round our place. Dad saw her as part of the pack.”_

_As they were talking, they didn’t notice another wolf, dressed in jeans and a vest, glaring at them from the other side of the courtyard. His name was Eugene Wolferson, and he had set his sights on Amy to be his alpha female, and no upstart ‘Inbetweener’ was going to get in the way of what he wanted._

_******_

_And so, Eugene had begun a campaign of bullying against Nicholas. At first, it was snide comments, made at Nicholas’ origins as a Cross. Over the course of a year, Eugene started to make his hatred plain. Al the while, he had tried to get along with Amy, but had found his advances rebuffed coolly by her. That only fuelled his hate for Nicholas all the more._

_He finally decided to ‘teach Nicholas a lesson’, and that involved cornering Nicholas alone near the lockers when there were no teachers around. As Nicholas closed his locker, Eugene rammed his fist into the door, right between Nicholas’ ears._

_“Time you and I had a little talk, Inbetweener,” Eugene snarled. Nicholas’ eyes darted to either side, spotting some of Eugene’s wolf-pack flunkies standing around._

_“Go away, Eugene,” Nicholas growled. He was not a pushover by any means, but he had spent the best part of the year reigning his temper and impulsiveness in. He didn’t want to blow that on what would ultimately be a waste of energy._

_“I’m going nowhere, and neither are you until we get something straight,” Eugene answered with a glower. “Stay away from my girl.”_

_“‘Your girl’?” Nicholas had to stop himself from laughing derisively at Eugene. “She’s given you the cold shoulder every time you’ve tried to court her. It’s not my fault you can’t take the hint.”_

_Eugene moved his paw to Nicholas’ shoulder, digging his claws in. Nicholas kept in his reflexive wince._

_“I think you need a lesson, you filthy Inbetweener,” Eugene snarled. He drew his free paw back and balled it into a fist._

_Before Eugene could swing his fist, Nicholas raised one of his legs and kicked out as hard as he could, connecting with Eugene’s groin. Eugene let Nicholas go and hunched over. Nicholas took the opportunity to try and run, but one of Eugene’s flunkies stood in the way. He swung for Nicholas, who ducked and swung his fist hard against the wolf’s nose. The wolf clutched at his nose and Nicholas made his escape._

_Unfortunately for Nicholas, he rounded the corner right into a sheep teacher who had heard the commotion and had gone to investigate._

******

Nicholas had been sat outside the Principal’s office. Eugene and the wolf he had punched on the nose had been sent to the nurse’s office.

Thankfully, Eugene hadn’t broken the skin of Nicholas’ shoulder when he had gripped him, but there was a nasty bruise forming under his fur, and he had put an ice pack on it.

After what seemed like forever, the door to the waiting room opened. Judy stormed in, with Nick following her.

“What did you do?” Judy stood above Nicholas.

“Thanks for the show of confidence, Mom,” Nicholas scoffed.

Judy stared at Nicholas until Nick placed a paw on her shoulder.

“Carrots, turn off cop mode,” Nick said, before looking at Nicholas. “Let’s hear your side of the story.”

Nicholas stared at Judy, who had seemed to ease up a bit. Nicholas recounted how Eugene and his cohorts had cornered him by the lockers, how Eugene had dug his claws into Nicholas’ shoulder and attempted to punch him, and how Nicholas had defended himself and made his escape.

“You know, I got into a fight at your age.” Nick said, sitting down beside Nicholas. “There was this woodchuck who had been bullying me for years. That day, he just pushed my buttons too much. I knew that the teachers would believe whatever he said. They’d already proved they couldn’t trust the words of a fox. So, when he tried to make his own hatred of me physical by trying to force a muzzle on me for a second time, I did what I had to: I stood up for myself. Of course, back then a fox’s words were worth less than dirt so I got suspended for an ‘unprovoked’ attack.”

“Gee, thanks for making me feel better,” Nicholas replied sarcastically.

“Times have changed,” Nick told him.

“If you were defending yourself, then there’s nothing to be afraid of,” Judy remarked. “We’ll both fight your corner.”

The door to the Principal’s office opened. Principal Matthew Skipps was desert hare in his early sixties. He had taken control of the school two years prior on a so-called ‘no bullying’ platform. Needless to say, Nicholas knew that platform was nothing but a lie.

“Miss Hopps? Mr. Wilde?” Principal Skipps called. Nick and Judy straightened up and walked into the office, with Nicholas behind them. Principal Skipps closed the door behind them and sat behind his desk.

“I’d like to take the opportunity to apologise for calling you out here during working hours,” Skipps began.

“What happened?” Judy asked.

“There was an altercation between Nicholas and two other students which resulted in injuries to them both,” Skipps replied. “We don’t tolerate fighting in our school, and…”

“Excuse me, one moment,” Nick held up a paw. “Can you at least tell us _why_ they were fighting?”

“Does it matter?” Skipps said, looking towards Nick. “The school rules prohibit fighting and…”

“Let me stop you again,” Nick interrupted for a second time. “ _Who_ is he supposed to have had this altercation with?”

“That’s not relevant,” Skipps replied.

“No?” Nick raised an eyebrow. “Because I’d say that feeds into the why. So, if it feeds into the why, is it relevant? Yes. Yes, it is.”

Skipps glowered at Nick.

“Two classmates, Eugene Wolferson, and Fred Packsetter,” Skipps said finally, after a long pause.

Nick raised an eyebrow.

“This wouldn’t be the same Eugene Wolferson who has been giving Nicholas problems, would it?” Nick asked. Nicholas stared at Nick, puzzled at where things were going to go.

“What is it that Nicholas is supposed to have done to this boy?” Judy asked.

“He kicked Eugene in the groin and hit Fred in the nose hard,” Skipps answered.

“Did he really?” Nick raised an eyebrow while trying to mask his amusement.

“And why was he put in that situation in the first place?” Judy pressed.

“I can assure you, Miss. Hopps, this school has a zero-tolerance approach to bullying…”

“Yeah, I can see that,” Nick interrupted, not bothering to mask his disgust. “It’s so zero-tolerance, you feel the need to haul two police officers off of an important case to… ah… _deal_ with it. I know that this Eugene has been harassing my son for months. And I know the school hasn’t exactly been proactive in dealing with the situation.”

“Mr. Wilde, please…” Skipps tried interrupting.

“So, tell me, has this other boy at least been punished?” Nick asked.

“I do not have to answer that question,” Skipps replied.

“That’s a ‘no’, then,” Nick crossed his arms. “Let me ask you something. Is the reason you’re ignoring my son’s abuse at the hands of Wolferson because my son is a Cross?”

“That has nothing to do with it., Skipps defended.

“No?” Nick raised an eyebrow in scepticism. “Tell me if this story sounds familiar: school gets a Principal who comes in on a ‘no-bullying’ platform and hopes to find his job easy because he’s taken charge of what is supposed to be one of the best schools in the district, only to find: whoopsie! There’s a Cross in the school. And that no-bullying platform? Double-whoopsie! The fact that the Cross is a Cross causes him to be bullied by those much less accepting than the school and throws the Principal’s ‘no-bullying’ platform into disarray. And whoopsie-number-threesie: The parents of said Cross happen to be not just cops but the first of their kind in the ZPD who had to battle something like that kind of discrimination themselves and are seasoned against it, ones that are not afraid of exposing the Principal of the school for what he is: a sham artist,” Nick raised his paws emphatically. “Sound about right?”

Angered at being assailed in such a fashion, all that Skipps could do was aim a pointed glare at Nick.

“Now, are we on the same page?” Nick raised an eyebrow. “ _We’ll_ deal with Nicholas. And _you_ get to deal with what you said you were going to deal with, which is the bullying and speciesm at the heart of your school. Now, seeing as it’s close to the end of the day, I guess we’re… done here?”

Nick raised an eyebrow. Judy and Nicholas simply stared at Nick, awed by him.

“We are done,” Skipps sighed. “Please, just go.”

Nick let a smirk creep across his face as he left his seat, and Judy and Nicholas followed.

As they left the office, they came into the view of two wolves with Eugene, who aimed a death glare at Nicholas.

The two wolves, Eugene’s parents, did not share their son’s anger. They were alarmed at the sight of Nick and Judy.

“You attacked the boy of _two police officers_?” the elder male wolf growled. Eugene looked away. He grabbed Eugene by the collar and hauled him over to Nick and Judy.

“Francis Wolferson,” the elder wolf introduced himself.

“Judy Hopps,” Judy replied.

“Nick,” Nick added.

“Yes, I know who you two are,” Francis answered. “Even this many years on, some of us do remember what you did for the city in capturing that deranged ewe drugging predators. My best friend was one of the first to go missing.”

“I’m glad we were able to help,” Judy said. “It’s what we do at the ZPD.”

“I’d like to offer my sincere apologies regarding my son’s behaviour,” Francis remarked. “We didn’t raise him to be a thug or to be speciest. He should be very, _very_ ashamed of himself right now,” Francis shot a pointed, angry glare at his son.

“And _you_ had better apologize too,” Francis growled, yanking slightly at Eugene’s collar. Eugene glowered at his father but seemed to falter once he caught his eye.

“Sorry,” he mumbled.

“What was that?” Francis said. “I don’t think he heard you.”

“I’m sorry,” Eugene repeated louder.

“That’s a start,” Francis remarked. “Once again, you have my sincere apologies for the behaviour of my son.”

******

The drive back to Judy’s apartment was in relative silence. Once they got there, Judy let Nicholas out, but as he turned towards the apartment building, Judy rolled down the window.

“We’re going to have a talk when I get home later,” Judy said. Nicholas simply stared back at Judy, a little confused as to why her tone indicated he might still be in trouble.

“It’s nothing to worry about,” Judy said, noticing Nicholas’ demeanour. “You’re not in trouble. Now, go inside. If you have any homework that needs doing, get it done. We’ll be home in a couple of hours.”

Judy rolled up the window and drove off, headed back for the Precinct. Nicholas headed into the apartment building.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writer’s block, begone! I’ve finally finished uni, but then I had a massive case of writer’s block that I’ve only just gotten over.


	5. Adversaries Past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to the people who reviewed the previous chapter: Ghostwolf88, SaberGatomon, aomagrat, seakard, Wolfx1120, TheJokerman, Sapperjoe85, x_uve, Spectra98, dracotwo

**ADVERSARIES PAST**

_36 years ago…_

_15-year-old Nick Wilde was a known troublemaker. Why shouldn’t he be? All the world saw was an untrustworthy red fox. He didn’t bother with school work, and had gotten into a lot of trouble with his Mother for that. It didn’t help that he had no fatherly role model – his father had died some time ago, and even before that, he had not exactly been the model of decency he had made out to be._

_But Nick had yet to learn a key lesson. He could still display his irritation or anger if pushed too far, and there was a mammal willing to push Nick to that extent._

_Chuck Woodshock had history with Nick. He was the ringleader of a gang of prey mammals who had harassed predators for years._

_Nick had been one of his first targets, right back when he was nine. He had led Nick to believe that he was being accepted into a pack – the Junior Ranger Scouts Pack 913 – only to ambush him with a muzzle. Ever since that day, Nick had grown more and more cynical of the world, and had started to believe the things other mammals said about foxes._

_He had thought, after that night, he would never see those responsible for his change in world view again. So he was not happy to learn that the ringleader of that group was also to attend the same high school._

_At first it started as snide remarks. Then it progressed to graffiti on his locker._

_And now Chuck stood before him, a contraption in his paws, a sneer etched on his face as two of his friends held Nick pinned against the lockers._

_“Well, Wilde, I figured it was time to remind you what your kind is good for,” the woodchuck approached menacingly._

_Nick struggled against his captors. As Chuck stepped in front of Nick, Nick swept his legs up and kicked Chuck straight in the mouth. Chuck staggered backwards as Nick wriggled free of his captors and ran._

_******_

_The zebra teacher nearby had not believed Nick’s story, and she had sent him straight to the Principal’s office. The Principal was a moose who had been less than sympathetic towards incidences of attacks and discrimination against predators. Needless to say, he shared the zebra teacher’s disbelief in Nick’s story and instead focused on the fact that Nick had broken one of Chuck’s teeth. He had suspended Nick on the spot, something which Viola was not pleased with. She didn’t blame Nick for trying to get himself out of trouble – she was horrified to learn that a muzzle was involved – but as with Nick, her protests fell on deaf ears._

_Nick would soon be transferred from the school regardless, but he had learned an important lesson that day._

_Never let them see they get to you._

******

Judy leaned against the doorframe of the bullpen, a smug smile firmly on her face.

“What took you so long today, Slick?” Judy teased him. One of the rituals that the pair had picked back up was the ‘race to the Precinct’ – a morning ritual that often saw Nick arriving well before Judy, which granted him the opportunity to tease Judy about her tardiness.

‘ _43 years old, and she still makes smug look cute,_ ’ Nick thought to himself, appreciating the rare occasion that Judy managed to get one over on him.

“Well, I’m not all that eager this morning, clearly,” Nick said. “Maybe I need more coffee. Not all of us can be Energizer Bunnies,” Nick finished, a smirk creeping on his face.

“Jerk,” Judy replied as she punched him lightly on the arm. She didn’t seem entirely displeased with Nick’s snarky remark, however.

“You know you love it,” Nick’s smirk widened.

“Don’t count on it,” Judy replied with a matching smirk. She turned in towards the bullpen, and Nick followed her in. He headed for his usual seat at the back, next to Wolfovitz, causing Judy to stop dead in her tracks.

“Nick?” Judy raised an eyebrow at him. “Why are you sitting there? I won’t bite.”

Nick froze as he started climbing into his chair and frowned at Judy.

“I’ve been sitting here for months, Carrots,” Nick replied.

“But today, you’re going to sit up front with me,” Judy said.

“What’s this?” Nick raised an eyebrow. “Feeling lonely up front?”

“We’re probably going to be working together again today,” Judy answered. “I just thought it made sense.”

Nick turned to catch Wolfovitz staring curiously at the pair. He waved a paw dismissively at Nick.

“Get outta here, lover boy,” Wolfovitz snarked, showing his teeth in a grin.

Nick shrugged and followed Judy to the front, clambering into the chair after her. Officer Lupus vacated his seat and stepped to the front.

“Ten- _Hut!_ ” Officer Lupus called. The usual table-banging and chanting occurred as Chief Fangmeyer entered the room and took her place on the podium.

“Enough!” Fangmeyer said loudly, and the chanting stopped, allowing Fangmeyer to proceed. “We have very little new on the docket today. Your assignments are largely unchanged. Hopps, Wilde. I need you to remain behind for a moment once this briefing is concluded.”

Nick and Judy looked at each other nervously.

“Okay, get to it. Dismissed!” Fangmeyer said, and the officers in the room filed out, leaving Nick, Judy and Fangmeyer alone. Fangmeyer picked up a file from the podium and approached the pair.

“This was reported last night,” Fangmeyer said, opening the file. “It’s connected to your investigation.”

Nick and Judy looked at the file. It was about a rabbit, John Leapson, who had been found dead the previous night.

“What is it with rabbits and these family names?” Nick raised an eyebrow. Judy nudged him lightly.

“… died from overdose,” Judy read out. “ _Latericius Valete Mortem_.”

“Ah, our drug for the day,” Nick frowned.

“Wait… the amount in his system they found wasn’t much, but it was _pure_ ,” Judy continued.

“Is that unusual?” Nick asked.

“You don’t know?” Judy raised an eyebrow at Nick.

“Carrots, even in my worst days, I stayed away from narcotics,” Nick answered. “Strictly pawpsicle-hustling for me.” He returned to looking at the file. “Nasty way to go, though. Sounds like the stuff made his heart explode.”

“We rabbits have a higher heart rate, so something like this new drug could do that,” Judy agreed. She looked up at Fangmeyer. “What do you need us to do?”

“Something that pure came directly from a source,” Fangmeyer explained. “What I need you and Wilde to do is track down that source and shut it down before whoever supplied this victim kills more mammals.”

“Sounds like you’re asking us to investigate this as a murder,” Nick remarked.

“That’s right, I am,” Fangmeyer confirmed.

“Wouldn’t it be better for a Detective to take this on?” Judy asked.

“Under normal circumstances, I would, but all the Detectives are currently working other cases,” Fangmeyer replied. “And, given your track record, you two seemed to be the best option. Do this _right_ , and you might even be able to shut down not just this one dealer, but get information to shut down what might be a whole network.”

“So… we’re on our own for this?” Nick queried.

“Afraid so, Wilde,” Fangmeyer acknowledged.

“We can handle it, Chief,” Judy piped up with enthusiasm. “Leave it to us!”

“That’s the spirit,” Fangmeyer nodded, and she got up to leave. Nick and Judy watched her go before returning their attention to the file. There was a still taken from a CCTV camera. According to the note stuck to it, that had been the last place Leapson had been seen on the streets, as his home was nearby.

“We can follow that backwards to find where Leapson got the stuff,” Nick suggested.

******

Nick and Judy sat at a console, running through camera footage to track where Leapson might have come from.

“Acacia Street, Baobab Avenue…” Judy ran through. “Wait… why is he coming from Happytown?”

Happytown, despite its name, was anything but. An effort was being made to regenerate the district, but it had always been known as the slums of Zootopia. Nick’s father had set up his tailoring shop there many, many years ago before he died.

“I guess it’s still the kind of place that attracts those sorts,” Nick shrugged. “I assume some of the cameras are going to be offline there.”

“We’ll go as far as we can,” Judy continued scrolling through the cameras after Leapson. She stopped when she saw him leaving a run-down apartment.

“I think we found our dealer,” Nick remarked, pushing his chair over to the next terminal so he could run the address.

The search didn’t take long, and Nick whistled as the result came up on his computer.

“What?” Judy rolled her chair towards Nick.

“Oh, nothing,” Nick replied. “Just a face I haven’t seen in a long time.”

“Nick, there’s a lot of people you haven’t seen in a long time,” Judy pointed out. “You’re going to have to be more specific.”

Rather than saying anything, Nick simply wheeled his chair over to Judy’s and pushed her towards his computer.

“Hey!” Judy frowned as her chair reached the desk. She positioned herself comfortably before glancing up at the screen to read the information on it:

_Name: Charles Woodshock_

_Species: Groundhog_

_Age: 51 (born 21/10/1984)_

_Relations: Edward Woodshock (father, deceased), Susan Woodshock (mother, deceased), no other relations._

_Record: Assault, battery, unlawful speciesm, theft, joining a banned organization, possession of a restricted substance, possession of a restricted substance with intent to supply._

“That name…” Judy peered closer.

“That’s the ringleader from the Junior Ranger Scouts,” Nick finished for her. “He was also the one I told Nicholas about.”

Judy looked back at Woodshock’s record.

“How do you go from speciesm and battery to drug dealing?” Judy raised an eyebrow.

“I’ll take ‘Unusual Career Moves’ for ten, Carrots,” Nick shrugged, indicating to himself. “Pawpsicle hustler to honest cop. I’d also accept theme park CEO to beat cop as an answer.”

“Har, har,” Judy replied, rolling her eyes. “Let’s get going before we lose our lead.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Nick mock-saluted, earning an elbow from Judy.

******

_Happytown_

Judy parked the cruiser opposite the apartment belonging to Woodshock. Switching the engine off, she turned to Nick.

“Nick, I know the history between you two,” she remarked. “Are you going to be okay with this?”

“It _was_ a long time ago,” Nick replied. “Besides, I think this might just be a bit of karmic restitution. It’ll be cathartic.”

“Okay, well…” Judy said. “Do you want to handle the arrest?”

“Carrots, it would be my genuine pleasure,” Nick answered.

Judy nodded and the pair exited the cruiser. Crossing the road, Nick and Judy just made it to the opposite sidewalk when the apartment’s door opened and their suspect stepped out from it.

“Charles Woodshock?” Judy called. The groundhog froze in place, turning slowly to face the two officers. He stared at them as though weighing up whether it was worth trying to run. Judy simply placed her paws on her hips, tapped her foot, and gave him a look that said ‘try me’.

“It’s been a long time, _old friend_ ,” Nick remarked, unhooking the cuffs from his belt and approaching the surprised groundhog. Woodshock stared at Nick, and recognition soon dawned on his face.

“… you?!” Woodshock spat.

“Yes, me,” Nick confirmed. “Funny, we always _were_ on opposite sides of the line, but now that line is the law, and you’re on the wrong side of it. You are under arrest for the mammalslaughter of John Leapson. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say…”

Nick’s face did not betray the enjoyment at the startled look on Woodshock’s face

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew, long time no post! It’s been… tough lately, but I found the time to sit down and get this done. I would like to say ‘hopefully my output on this front will increase’, but… I’m about to enter my final university year, so I certainly can’t make that promise. But I do promise that I won’t stop writing, no matter how long it takes to get new chapters out.  
> Small changes are being made here at the moment, but there are bigger changes coming to the story.
> 
> With that, all that remains is to say peace out!


	6. Old Enemies And New Mysteries

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to the people who reviewed the previous chapter: Ghostwolf88, Wolfx1120, Spectra98, SaberGatomon, TheJokerman, aomagrat, x_uve, seakard, Spectra98

**OLD ENEMIES AND NEW MYSTERIES**

Nick and Judy had dragged their suspect, Charles Woodshock, back to the Precinct. He had been cuffed and thrown into one of the interrogation rooms, while Nick and Judy prepared to interview him, going over their game plan from within the observation room.

“Jittery little bug, isn’t he?” Nick remarked, noticing Woodshock’s eyes darting around the room.

“Was he always that way?” Judy asked.

“Not back from when I last saw him,” Nick replied. “Then again, the system was in his favour back then.”

“Not this time,” Judy said.

“Not this time,” Nick agreed.

“So, you want to go in there?” Judy offered.

“Nah, I had the pleasure of putting the cuffs on him in the first place,” Nick answered. “ _You_ should be the one to beat the metaphorical snot out of him.”

Judy chortled as she left the observation room. Nick returned to the window, watching as Judy entered the interrogation room. All traces of her previous mirth had vanished, and she had taken on an all-business manner. Nick hit the record button on the tape machine as Judy sat down opposite Woodshock.

“Interview commencing at 11:30 AM on Wednesday 4 July, 2035,” Judy checked the clock. “Interviewer Lieutenant Judy Hopps interviewing suspect Charles Woodshock, arrested on suspicion of mammalslaughter. Just to reiterate your Miranda rights: you have the right to remain silent. Anything you do say can be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you before we begin questioning. If you choose to waive your right to an attorney, you have the right to stop answering questions at any time.”

With the time, date, interviewer, suspect and crime recorded, Judy began to flip through the file in front of her, apparently ignoring the slightly twitchy groundhog.

Watching in the observation room, Nick’s smile grew wider as he realised just what Judy was up to.

‘ _Making a twitchy mammal try to guess what’s going on, why he’s here… rile him up a bit… clever bunny,_ ’ Nick thought to himself.

Woodshock didn’t wait for Judy to get to the end of the file before speaking.

“Look, I don’t know what that _pelt_ told you,” Woodshock spluttered. He didn’t get to finish his sentence, because Judy harshly snapped the file shut and pointed a steely glare at him.

“This… this is harassment!” Woodshock squealed. “I want a lawyer!”

“But weren’t you about to tell me you’ve done nothing wrong?” Judy asked. “After all, only mammals _guilty_ of something lawyer up.”

“I don’t even know why I’m here!” Woodshock protested.

Judy wordlessly opened the file back up and slipped a photograph from it and in front of Woodshock. He glanced at it briefly. It was of John Leapson, the overdose victim.

“I don’t know this rabbit,” Woodshock said.

“Try again,” Judy remarked.

“I’m telling you, I don’t know him!”

Raising an eyebrow, Judy removed another photo from the file and slid it on top of the other. That photo was a still from a camera feed, showing Woodshock and Leapson together, and Leapson accepting something from Woodshock.

“Only a few hours after this was taken, the victim was found dead,” Judy said. “We already ran a blood test. He had a concentrated form of a relatively new drug called _Latericius Valete Mortem_ in his system.”

“Latter… Valet… _what?_ ” Woodshock blinked.

“The ‘Waking Death’ drug,” Judy clarified. “How much do you want to wager that we’ll find that when we search your home?”

Judy pulled the two photos back into the file.

“With your record, you’ll be in prison for a long time,” Judy said.

The realization that he was not likely to escape punishment for this caused something to trigger within Woodshock, and he bolted up.

“Hey, I’ll confess that I sold the rabbit the WD,” He admitted. “But I didn’t mean to kill him!”

“You peddled a drug to a lapin that was capable of making his heart give out even if it _wasn’t_ in a much more concentrated form!” Judy thumped her fist against the table, glaring at the groundhog angrily, enough to make him recoil in his seat. “Ignorance isn’t a defence here! We have you to rights on this one and I’ll make sure you go away for a long time!”

Judy got out of her seat and headed for the door. As her paw reached for the handle, Woodshock piped up.

“Wait!” Woodshock called as Judy reached the door. Judy stopped but did not turn around.

“If I tell you what I know, can I get a deal?” Woodshock asked. Judy stayed still for a moment, before turning herself back around and walking back over to the table. She pulled out her note pad and carrot pen.

“I want names,” Judy said. “Names of your suppliers, addresses. _Then_ we’ll talk about a deal.”

“I only get it from this one place!” Woodshock said. “The stuff I get isn’t supposed to be like that!”

“Do you know how often I hear that, Woodshock?” Judy asked. “If I had a carrot for every time, there wouldn’t need to be anybody farming them. So, if I were you, I’d stop making excuses and start writing down names.”

“I don’t know the names of the mammals, but I know that they’re at some place in the Docks,” Woodshock replied.

“ _Where?_ ” Judy demanded. “Tell me where, and I’ll see to it that you only get charged with possession. We’ll charge the mammals who gave it to you with mammalslaughter.”

Judy hoped the danged carrot of a lesser charge would be enough, and luckily for her, Woodshock went for it.

“Dolph’s End,” Woodshock finally said. “That’s all I know!”

Judy considered the info for a moment.

“Okay,” Judy nodded. “We’re going to check this information out, and then based on that, we’ll decide charges then. In the meantime, you’re going to be spending time in the cells.”

“But I…”

“Save it,” Judy replied forcefully. “We’re still going to be charging you with something, but what with all depends on whether this information pans out.”

With that, Judy opened the door that lead into the recording room, passing Delgato, who was going to lead the groundhog to the cells situated in the basement of the Precinct.

“Very smooth performance, Lieutenant!” Nick clapped as he emerged from the observation room.

“Har-har,” Judy deadpanned in response. “So, what do you think?”

“Well, he’s a known liar, so we’re going to have to get his story checked out before we do anything,” Nick replied. “And you know what that’ll mean, don’t you?”

Judy sighed.

“Yep,” Judy replied. “Not my most favourite thing.”

******

Judy and Nick had marched dutifully up to Fangmeyer’s office to report on the results of their arrest and interrogation.

“I agree with Wilde,” Fangmeyer nodded. “Taking the word of a mammal like Woodshock at face value isn’t a good idea. And that’s why we need to investigate the claim further. Hopps, Wilde, take a car down to Dolph’s End and observe what’s going on there. Don’t move in without calling it in if you do find something.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Nick and Judy piped up, before leaving the office. As Nick closed the door behind him, he pumped his fist.

“I just love stakeouts,” Nick remarked.

“Makes one of us, Slick,” Judy replied. “Sitting in a car for hours on end staring at a boring warehouse isn’t my idea of investigating.”

“Ah, but you forget you’ll have the most charming partner in there with you to keep you entertained,” Nick grinned.

“Why? Did you get assigned to a different case while I wasn’t looking, and I have a new partner?” Judy shot back.

“Ouch, shots fired, Carrots,” Nick clutched at his chest in faux agony.

******

And so, Nick and Judy found themselves in their cruiser, parked a distance from Dolph’s End, but near enough that they could see the sole warehouse that occupied the space.

“Well, who’d have thought that they’d have this much construction going on in this district?” Nick remarked.

“They’re working on strengthening the Climate Control System,” Judy reminded him. “Fangmeyer mentioned it a few weeks back.”

“With ‘you-know-who’ on the loose, the timing kinda sucks,” Nick replied. “Exposed climate control systems would be perfect to pump Night Howler into the city with.”

“Well, then we are lucky that the ZBI are on it,” Judy said, though not without a slight hint of disappointment.

“Do I detect a hint of disapproval in your voice, Fluff?” Nick raised an eyebrow.

“Well, they didn’t exactly do a good job with the Night Howler incident in the first place,” Judy pointed out.

“Nineteen years is a long time,” Nick said with a shrug. “Maybe they’ve foiled all sorts of attempts on Zootopia since then.”

“Yeah? How come they haven’t caught Bellwether and Ramses yet, then?” Judy asked. Nick had no answer, so returned his attention to their target. The silence between them started to get uncomfortable.

“Sorry, Nick,” Judy apologised. “I’m letting things get to me. It’s just…”

“I know,” Nick said. “You thought it was cut and dried. We get our guy, close the case, all the edges smoothed over. Doesn’t help with everything that’s gone on lately with Smellwether and her cohort. Everything’s getting on top of you.”

Judy stared at Nick, unsure how to respond.

“Look…” Nick sighed. “I get it. I do. You don’t know whether to feel angry or afraid. Been there, done that. But you don’t have to do it on your own. I’m here, remember?”

Judy let her eyes drop and her ears droop.

“I… still sometimes feel,” Judy began, “that I don’t have the right to ask for you to be there for me. After everything…”

“As if you have to ask,” Nick replied, reaching out and placing a paw on Judy’s shoulder. Judy stiffened slightly under the touch but stared at him.

“I’m scared, Nick,” Judy admitted. “I’m afraid for everyone. I know too well what happened before, what she did to this city… what she tried to do to _us_. But then, there’s a small part of me that tells me that I managed without you for fifteen years, and a big part of me that says ‘oh, no, you didn’t’, and… I don’t know, Nick, I just… don’t.”

Nick kept his paw on Judy’s shoulder a little longer before he turned back into his seat and put the binoculars up to his eyes to observe the warehouse.

For a few moments, there was the sound of nothing but seabirds and the ambience of traffic from the city behind them. But then, a sound caused Judy’s ear to twitch and she turned her attention towards its source.

“Nick,” Judy tugged at Nick’s shirt to get him to look where she was looking. Nick swivelled the binoculars around, catching sight of a truck as it pulled up outside the warehouse. Two goat rams disembarked as one of the warehouse’s doors opened and a black-wooled ram came out to meet the two goats.

“Hey, isn’t that…?” Nick began. Judy pulled the binoculars from him and looked for herself.

“Woolter,” Judy confirmed. Woolter had been involved in the Night Howler crisis as one of Doug’s runners. Since he was only a henchram, he had received a comparatively light sentence when compared with the masterminds of the plot.

“Think him being here’s a coincidence?” Nick asked.

“I don’t believe in coincidences,” Judy replied, scanning with the binoculars. Sure enough, she caught sight of another ram with white wool.

“Jesse,” Judy said. Nick’s shoulders sank slightly. The pair watched as Jesse and Woolter passed over a briefcase to the two goats. The goats opened the case to inspect its contents. Apparently satisfied, they turned around and began to empty their truck.

Judy spotted a biohazard warning symbol on the side of one of the containers being offloaded.

“We’ve got to call this in,” Judy said. Nick nodded, reaching for the radio. Judy grabbed his paw.

“Not through the radio,” Judy told him. “They could be listening in on the police bandwidth. We should call in using our phones.”

“Gotcha,” Nick nodded. “Um… mind letting my paw go?”

Judy frowned, her eyes turning to where she had grabbed hold of Nick’s paw. She hastily withdrew and grabbed at her belt for her phone.

“Sorry,” she mumbled, fishing the phone out and dialling for the Precinct.

The phone rang for two seconds before it was picked up.

“ _ZPD Precinct One, Clawhauser speaking!_ ” Came Clawhauser’s reply.

“Clawhauser, it’s Hopps. Can we get patched through to the Chief?” Judy asked.

“ _Something going on down there?_ ” Clawhauser asked.

“You could say that,” Judy replied. “Please just patch us through.”

“ _Okay…_ ” Clawhauser replied. “ _Just give me a second…_ ”

There was a pause.

“ _Hopps, Wilde… are you contacting me because you’ve found something?_ ” came Fangmeyer’s voice.

“Yes, Ma’am,” Judy replied. “We’ve spotted two rams of interest. They’re former allies of Doug Ramses.”

There was a brief pause.

“ _Are you sure?_ ” Fangmeyer asked.

“Positive, Judy gritted her teeth. She knew what was coming next.

“ _Hopps, Wilde. 10-19. Report to me when you return,_ ” Came the voice of Chief Fangmeyer.

“Yes, ma’am,” Judy replied before ending the call. She started the car and slowly turned it around, so as not to make too much noise or notice.

“So much for our big collar, huh?” Nick remarked.

Judy gritted her teeth bitterly as she drove.

******

Nick and Judy returned to Precinct One in relative silence. The journey took a little longer for them than normal thanks to the ongoing Climate Control System works around the city, but as soon as they got there, the pair headed straight for Fangmeyer’s office.

Judy was about to knock when she heard two voices inside. One was Fangmeyers, but the other voice Judy did not recognise.

“ZBI probably already on Chief’s tail,” Nick remarked.

Judy silently responded with an ‘oh, as she knocked on the door. The voices within the office fell silent before Fangmeyer’s voice called out.

“Enter!” Fangmeyer answered. Judy opened the door and she and Nick filed into the office.

As expected, there was somebody in the office with Fangmeyer: a fox in a sharp suit, with a steely blue gaze. Judy was put in mind of the sternness she saw in Nick when they reunited for the first time in fifteen years.

“Good work on tracking down the supply chain,” Fangmeyer began once the pair were seated.

“But we… didn’t even begin,” Judy said. “Not really, before you pulled us back.”

“You bagged Monax, and that lead you to a factory that is evidently making Waking Death,” Fangmeyer pointed out. “They’ll be dealt with soon.”

“By the ZBI, I’m sure,” Nick spoke, flicking his eyes to the suited fox in the next seat.

“That is correct.” Fangmeyer nodded. “Once you told me about Ramses’ former associates, I had to inform the lead Agent in charge of the ZBI’s investigation. He made the decision that there was likely to be a crossover, and so Commissioner Bogo agreed that the case needs to be turned over to them.”

“The ZBI would like to thank you for the ground you have covered,” The fox said in a deep, gravelly voice. “We’ll take it from here.”

Nick opened his mouth to say something, but then decided to shut it.

“It’s for the best,” Fangmeyer replied. “You _know_ you are not in a position to investigate this given its probable connection.”

“I’ll take my leave,” The fox said, jumping out of the chair and leaving the room, leaving Nick, Judy and Fangmeyer alone.

“I did not know he was lead investigator, before you ask, Wilde,” Fangmeyer said. “Up until this point, there was no need for either of us to cross paths.”

“Well, paths have been crossed now,” Nick replied, a small amount of bitterness in his voice.

“Excuse me…” Judy raised her paw. “I’m clearly missing something here.”

“Oh,” Fangmeyer realised. “Well, allow me to clarify. The ZBI Agent in charge of the investigation into the breakout of Dawn Bellwether and Doug Ramses is Agent Jack Wilde.”

Judy’s eyes widened in shock as she turned to face Nick.

“Carrots, you’ve just met my estranged cousin.” Nick said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s, uh… been a minute, hasn’t it? To boil a really long, depressing story down, life has not been kind to me these past few months. I have had difficulty finding a job, especially now my country has entered a second lockdown. My only saving grace was that university has started again, and that has me quite busy. Nevertheless, I’m hoping to be back on the horse now, at least for a while.
> 
> Bonus note: I wrote Jack Wilde with a specific voice in mind: legendary voice actor Steve Blum.
> 
> So, what did you guys think? Please don’t forget to leave reviews! And I’ll see you… hopefully soon.


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